Garbage receptacle



2, 1966 s. T. POWERS GARBAGE REGEPTACLE Filed May 28, 1964 Samuel 7. Powers INVENTOR t N i q QM ATTORNEYS FIG. 3' BY United States Patent 3,263,854 GARBAGE RECEPTACLE Samuel T. Powers, R0. Box 882, Tijeras, N. Mex. Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 370,875 7 Claims. (Cl. 220-18) This invention relates to a garbage receptacle and more particularly it relates to a unit adapted to be mounted exteriorly of a building surrounding an opening which permits garbage from the building to be emptied therethrough into the unit and even more particularly it relates to a unit of the type described which can be opened to dispense the garbage therefrom and into an auxiliary receptacle such as a conventional garbage can.

When garbage is allowed to accumulate in the kitchen of a home or building, it is not only unsanitary but also gives rise to disagreeable odors. Accordingly, the practice of allowing garbage to collect in paper bags or inside pails which are subsequently emptied is not a desirable one and there is much to be said for disposing of such garbage immediately without allowing it to accumulate.

The customary manner for disposing of such garbage, whether in small batches or accumulate-d quantities, is to carry it outdoors to an outside container such as a garbage can. This is not only bothersome and inconvenient but has certain other undesirable side effects, such as, for instance, the need to carry the garbage through the living room or other portions of the house if no outside door is provided in the kitchen. Moreover, in the case of invalid or elderly persons, such a trip can be quite difficult, or impossible.

It can, therefore, be seen that it is both desirable and beneficial to provide a means for quickly and easily disposing of garbage without permitting it to accumulate in the kitchen and without requiring a special trip outdoors. Of course, the obvious solution which comes to mind for providing such a means is a conventional electrical garbage disposal unit which attaches to the kitchen sink and which can be energized to grind up the garbage thrown down the sink. However, while such an electric garbage disposal unit is quite helpful, it is not altogether satisfactory for the present purposes. One obvious drawback with such a unit is the extreme expense involved in its purchase and installation. Also, some apartment dwellers are prohibited from using such units and even where use is permitted, most people are adverse to installing such an expensive unit on rented premises. There is also the further consideration that such grinding-type disposal units are limited in the types of garbage they can accept, and they are unable to satisfactorily handle bones, newspapers, boxes and the like.

There have, in addition to the above, been certain other forms of prior art disposal units which transfer garbage from the interior to the exterior of a house, but these units too have generally been commercially unacceptable. Some prior art units have had multiple pivoting and moving parts which not only made the unit expensive but also made it difiicult to clean or to operate when such parts become fouled with garbage. Other prior art units have used drawer type receptacles to transfer the garbage from the inside to the outside, but such drawers were generally difficult to empty from the outside and hence the entire convenience aspect of the unit was vitiated. Other prior art units were beset with various other types of drawbacks such as bulky and unattractive appearance, odor leakage back into the interior of the kitchen, and difficulty of manipulation.

With the foregoing in mind, it is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to overcome the difliculties and deficiencies associated with the prior art and to provide in their stead, an improved garbage receptacle.

Another primary object of the present invention is to ice provide a unit which can receive garbage from the interior of a building and can be operated to selectively dispense such garbage exteriorly of the building into a suitable garbage receptacle.

Further general, though equally significant, objects of the present invention include the provision of a garbage disposal receptacle which, (a) is of a simple construction and utilizes a minimum of parts; (b) prevents the escape of disagreeable garbage odors; (c) is rugged and durable, yet is inexpensive to manufacture; (d) can be quickly and easily manipulated by hand; (e) is attractive in appearance; (f) can be easily cleaned, when desired, and (g) will operate for extended periods of service with a minimum of maintenance.

Other objects, advantages and salient features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a garbage receptacle in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view, partially broken away, of the garbage receptacle of FIGURE 1 in its closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view, similar to FIG- URE 2, but showing the garbage receptacle in its open position;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of a canister which forms a part of the garbage receptacle;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line 66 of FIGURE 3 and showing one form of movable mounting means used herein;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIGURE 6, but showing an alternate form of movable mounting means; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view, partly in section, showing the stop means provided on the framework of the present invention.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention and as can be seen generally from the various figures thereof, there is provided a garbage receptacle generally designated 10 which is adapted to be installed in a wall of a building generally designated 12. The receptacle 10 includes a support frame generally designated 14, a slidable canister generally designated 16, and means generally designated 18 which movably mount the canister within the frame.

The support frame 14 is utilized to secure the receptacle 10 to a wall of the building 12. As such, the frame includes a pair of spaced elongated angles 20 which are suitably afiixed to the wall by fastener means such as bolts. A shorter pair of spaced angles 22 is disposed forwardly of the angles 20 and hence are located away from the building wall 12. Lower angles 24 extend between each angle 20 and its aligned angle 22 to interconnect them together as a unit at their lower ends, and upper angles 26 provide a similar function between the spaced angles at their upper ends. It can thus be seen that the various interconnected angles serve to form an open rectangular box having spaced upstanding legs.

A suitable fiat imperforate bottom member 28, preferably formed of sheet metal such as aluminum, is provided within the bottom of the frame 14 to enclose the lower end thereof. The bottom member 28 can be permanently secured to the side angles 24 or, if desired, can be slidably inserted therewithin. A forward edge 30 of the bottom 28 can extend beyond the forward legs 22 to provide both a smooth edge and an edge which can be manually 3 grasped to pull out the bottom 28 for cleaning, when needed.

At the upper end of the frame 14, a tapered hood generally designated 32 is provided in overlying relationship to the frame. The hood 32 has generally triangular side walls 34 which are secured to the angles 20 and 22 by suitable means such as rivets 36. The forward or pointed end of the side walls 34 projects forwardly beyond the angles 22 to provide a suitable overhand for the receptacle. A short fixed top wall 38 extends between the side walls 34 adjacent the building wall 12, and to this fixed wall 38, a swingable top wall 40 is attached by means of a continuous elongated piano hinge 42. The top wall 40 extends to the forward end of the side walls 34 and can be manually lifted, as shown in FIGURE 2, to permit trash or garbage to be introduced into the receptacle 10 from outside the building 12 as well from inside it.

A canister 16, as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, is adapted to be slidably disposed within the frame 14. The canister is of a generally rectangular tubular configuration having narrow side walls 42 of substantially the same width as the spacing between the angles 20 and 22, and wider rear and front walls, 44 and 46, respectively, of substantially the same width as the spacing between the spaced angles 22. Both the top and the bottom of the canister are open, with the bottom opening being identified as 48 in FIGURE 5. An angle 50 is affixed to the front wall 46 to stiffen it and a handle 52 is attached to the angle 50 to permit the canister 16 to be manually moved within the frame 14. At the upper end of the canister 16, a series of angles are disposed about the walls to form a peripheral flange 54 for slidably mounting the canister in a manner to be presently described. At the lower end of the canister 16, a strengthening rib 56 surrounds the walls to strengthen and rigidify the canister. A suitable gasket 58, formed of rubber or some other suitable material, is disposed beneath the rib 56 at the bottom of the canister in order to provide a suitable seal with the bottom member 28.

The canister 16 is adapted to be disposed within the frame 14 and to be slidable therewithin by a movable mounting means 18 which reacts between the canister flanges 54 and the frame upper cross-legs 26. In the form of mounting means shown in FIGURE 6, a roller means 60 is pivotally mounted within the portion of the peripheral flange 54 that overlies the complemental portion of the frame 14 formed by the frame upper angles 26. The roller means 60 bears against and rolls upon the upper face of the angle 26. A flexible seal 62 is suitably mounted by bolts 64 to abut against the edge of the peripheral flange 54 to seal the canister and prevent the escape of disagreeable garbage odors. In the form of mounting means shown in FIGURE 7, a strip 66 is secured to the underside of the peripheral flange 54 and is designed to slide upon the upper surface of the frame angle 26. The strip 66 can be adhesively attached to the flange 54 and can be fabricated, for example, of self-lubricating plastic such as polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) which is easily slidable and which also provides the desired sealing effect. The strip 66 also serves the function served by the seal 62 in the embodiment of FIGURE 6.

When the canister 16 is placed within the frame 14, it is slidable therewithin by means of the slidable mounting means 18, and it is sealed by the lower seal 58 and the upper seal 62 or 66 to prevent any odors from escaping therefrom. As shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the receptacle 10 is designed to be mounted to a wall of a building 12 having a discharge opening 68 therein. The opening 68 is disposed within the hood portion 32 of the receptacle so that garbage discharged through the opening will drop gravitationally into the canister 16 through its open upper end. The opening 68 may be closed interiorly by a pivotally mounted door 69 having a friction catch and exteriorly by a pivotally mounted door 7 having a biasing spring 72 normally urging the door to a closed position to prevent overfilling of the receptacle and to prevent garbage odors from escaping into the opening 68.

In operation, the canister 16 is normally pushed completely into the frame 14, as shown in FIGURE 2, with the open canister bottom 48 being aligned over the bottom member 28. In this position, garbage can be emptiedinto the canister 16 by a person either inside or outside the building 12. A person inside the building empties such garbage into the canister through the opening 68 and a person outside the building empties such garbage into the canister by lifting the swingable hood portion 40. Once the canister is filled with garbage and it is desired to empty such garbage, the canister 16 is manually pulled forward by the handle 52 to the position shown in FIG- URE 3. In this position, the open bottom 48 of the canister is moved forwardly of the bottom member 28, and the garbage can thus empty therethrough and into an awaiting garbage can or outdoor container 74. If desired, the bottom of the canister may be provided with outwardly projecting stops 76 along the rear thereof, and such stops may abut against similar stops 78 formed on the forward angles 22, as shown in FIGURE 8, to prevent the canister 16 from being inadvertently pulled from the frame 14. It will thus be appreciated. that a mere manual forward pulling on the canister 16 will cause the garbage therein to quickly and readily dispense into the awaiting container 74.

After reading the foregoing detailed description, it will be apparent that the objects set forth at the outset of this specification have been successfully achieved. Accordin-gly,

What is claimed is:

1. For use with a building having a garbage-dispensing opening formed in a .wall thereof, a garbage receptacle surrounding said opening and comprising:

a supporting frame having rear legs adapted to be affixed to said wall, front legs in spaced alignment forwardly of said rear legs, and upper and lower crosslegs interconnecting said aligned front and rear legs;

a hood member overlying said supporting frame and surrounding said gar-bage dispensing opening in said wall;

an imperforate bottom member mounted beneath said supporting frame and enclosing the lower end thereof;

a hollow tubular canister having an open upper and open lower end with a peripheral flange surrounding said upper end;

said canister being mounted within said supporting frame with said open lower end juxtaposed to said bottom member and said peripheral flange at least partially overlying said upper cross-legs whereby garbage can be introduced into said canister through said opening in said wall;

means reacting between said peripheral flange and said upper cross-legs to permit slidable movement of said canister; and

handle means aflixed to said canister to permit said canister to he slid forwardly of said supporting frame to permit garbage to empty from said canister through its open lower end.

2. A garbage receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein a sealing gasket is provided at the lower end of said canister to provide a seal between said bottom member and said canister.

3. A garbage receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said canister is provided with a stop means at its lower end toprevent it from being pulled completely out of said frame.

4. A garbage receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said means includes a plastic strip interposed between said peripheral flange and said upper cross-legs.

5. A garbage receptacle as defined in claim 1 wherein said means includes a roller means rotatably mounted on said peripheral flange and abutting against said upper cross-legs to roll thereupon.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 512,26-1 1/1894 Nailor 220-18 Brinkman 22018 Carden 220-18 Craw 232-433 QPart 20642 Smithers 23243.3

THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

10 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

R. H. SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH A BUILDING HAVING A GARBAGE-DISPENSING OPENING FORMED IN A WALL THEREOF, A GARBAGE RECEPTACLE SURROUNDING SAID OPENING AND COMPRISING: A SUPPORTING FRAME HAVING REAR LEGS ADAPTED TO BE AFFIXED TO SAID WALL, FRONT LEGS IN SPACED ALIGNMENT FORWARDLY OF SAID REAR LEGS, AND UPPER AND LOWER CROSSLEGS INTERCONNECTING SAID ALIGNED FRONT AND REAR LEGS; A HOOD MEMBER OVERLYING SAID SUPPORTING FRAME AND SURROUNDING SAID GARBAGE DISPENSING OPENING IN SAID WALL; AN IMPERFORATE BOTTOM MEMBER MOUNTED BENEATH SAID SUPPORTING FRAME AND ENCLOSING THE LOWER END THEREOF; A HOLLOW TUBULAR CANISTER HAVING AN OPEN UPPER AND OPEN LOWER END WITH A PERIPHERAL FLANGE SURROUNDING SAID UPPER END; SAID CANISTER BEING MOUNTED WITHIN SAID SUPPORTING FRAME WITH SAID OPEN LOWER END JUXTAPOSED TO SAID BOTTOM MEMBER AND SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AT LEAST PARTIALLY OVERLYING SAID UPPER CROSS-LEGS WHEREBY GARBAGE CAN BE INTRODUCED INTO SAID CANISTER THROUGH SAID OPENING IN SAID WALL; MEANS REACTING BETWEEN SAID PERIPHERAL FLANGE AND SAID UPPER CROSS-LEGS TO PERMIT SLIDABLE MOVEMENTS OF SAID CANISTER; AND HANDLE MEANS AFFIXED TO SAID CANISTER TO PERMIT SAID CANISTER TO BE SLID FORWARDLY OF SAID SUPPORTING FRAME TO PERMIT GARBAGE TO EMPTY FROM SAID CANISTER THROUGH ITS OPEN LOWER END. 